DOWNTOWN’S COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER MAY 2010
San Diego Community Newspaper Group
www.SDNEWS.com Volume XI, Number 4
It’s
festival season Two opposing groups converged on the Federal Building May 1 to either demonstrate in favor of Arizona’s recent implementation of its immigration bill (left) or to PAUL HANSEN | Downtown News protest the law (right).
May Day brings opposing rallies over Arizona bill Giovanna DiBona, right, leads the procession during the Sicilian Festival in COURTESY PHOTO Little Italy, scheduled this year for May 23.
Sicilian Festival is all about community BY MEAGHAN CLARK | DOWNTOWN NEWS Whether you are Sicilian or not, chances are you won’t want to leave the sights, scents and tastes of the 17th annual Sicilian Festival once you arrive. Scheduled for May 23 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on India Street in Little Italy, this colorful annual event welcomes thousands of Sicily’s natives and fans. “There’s always a fascination with cultural events [around San Diego],” said Giovanna DiBona, festival public relations chair and Roman Holiday Ensemble lead vocalist. For Italian natives who make up Little Italy’s downtown district, it is all about community. “This is more of a community outreach than a money-maker because we get strong crowds, even those from out of town,” DiBona said. The event, put together by volunteers, continues to grow with local and
international entertainment, cultural craft fairs and children’s activities. This year’s festival is expected to be bigger and better than ever, particularly thanks to Italy’s win during the 2006 World Cup Championship. Puma and Soccer Fanatic are bringing the Puma World Cup Soccer Fan Zone to the festival on Beech and India Street, which DiBona expects will bring out many “futbol” fans. The streets will be filled with large television screens reliving Italy’s Azzuri team win, along with face painting, contests and cutouts of international players — perfect for pictures. Traditional Sicilian finds will fill the street, like at the cultural pavilion with Sicilian puppets both on display and performing, Madonnari Street painting and more. World famous Sicilian musicians are set to entertain, including accordionist Dick Contino and the
BY TAWNY MAYA MCCRAY SPECIAL TO DOWNTOWN NEWS
SICILIAN FESTIVAL WHEN: Sunday, May 23, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. WHERE: India Street in Little Italy ENTERTAINMENT: Puma Soccer Fan Zone, Roman Holiday Ensemble, Screamin Primas, face painting, inflatable slide, puppet show PARKING: Free parking (north lot of the County Administration Building on Pacific Highway with free shuttle) INFORMATION: www.sicilianfesta.com Roman Holiday Ensemble. This year’s Sicilian flag procession and parade will be led by County Supervisor Ron Roberts, who is part Sicilian. Joe Busalacchi, San Diego’s restaurateur who owns several staples in Little Italy, will be offering traditional Sicilian dishes that you “don’t really find anywhere else,” DiBona said. From anancini di riso (fried rice balls stuffed with cheese and meat) to fresh tuna (an industry that brought the Sicilians to San Diego in the 1920s); the event truly celebrates traditional Sicilian cuisine.
FESTIVALS GALORE: Taste of Little Italy, Page 10 :: Gator by the Bay, Page 12 :: Smooth Jazz Festival, Page B1
While roughly 150 to 200 people came out Saturday, May 1 at a downtown rally in support of Arizona’s newly-adopted immigration law, an estimated crowd of 1,000-plus marched through the streets from Chicano Park to the Federal Building, to oppose it. “They keep talking about how the illegal immigrants have drained all our monies,” said Anita Turner, who resides in the college area. “But in reality, eight years of George Bush has drained our monies. That’s why we’re in the shape we’re in.” Turner, who was among the protestors, which included groups like Union del Barrio, Collectivo Zapatista and Coalicion Primero de Mayo, compared the Arizona ruling to apartheid. She said although she agrees people should come into the country legally, she’d like to see a federal immigration law enacted that is not “so drastic.” “Anyone who’s brown-skinned will be stopped, whether or not you live here legally,” she said. “It won’t be the blue-eyed, blonde-haired Canadi-
ans. I’m afraid it’s too much power for the police.” Larry Rubin, a San Diego native who lives near the University of San Diego, was among the counter protestors in favor of the Arizona ruling, which also included the San Diego Minutemen. Rubin said he sees a very simple solution to this issue — close all the borders and deport all the illegals. “There’s not a job out there an American would not do,” he said. “It’s just that we have greedy owners and manufacturers that want to pay $2 an hour. I don’t want to work for $2 an hour. I have a higher standard. They’re causing our standard to be lowered.” Rubin, who at one point during the demonstration shouted, “Show us your face, you freaks! You cowards!” to a group of men in the march who wore bandanas covering their mouths and noses, said he’d also like to see immigrants learn English. “There’s nothing more disrespectful and rude than when you’re in English surroundings and a group of people break off and start speaking Spanish,” he said. “Enabling people like that doesSEE RALLY, Page 4
New proposed central library is still inching closer to reality BY HILLARY SCHULER-JONES | DOWNTOWN NEWS A plan to build a nine-story central library at Park Boulevard and J Street moved one step closer to fruition April 30 when the builder agreed to proceed with the project at the same cost it had originally estimated in 2005. When library and city officials
met with Turner Construction about the project in 2005, the company estimated expenses of $145 million for construction and approximately $40 million for architecture and engineering fees, fur niture and f ixtures. The City Council declined to approve the project until the librar y system had secured
enough funding to build the new facility, said Marion Moss Hubbard, San Diego Public Library’s public information officer. Since that time, the library has garnered approximately $148.5 million from several sources: $80 million from the Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC), $28.5 million from San Diego Pub-
Voted “Best Wine Bar” 2008/09 by San Diego Downtown News Readers Choice Awards
lic Library Foundation, $20 million from California State Library and $20 million from the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD), which is part of a 40year lease agreement for a charter school that will be housed on the new facility’s sixth and seventh floors, Moss Hubbard said. But officials close to the project
were concerned that inflation and building costs would tack millions more to the price tag after the fiveyear wait. Turner alleviated those fears April 30 by guaranteeing they could move forward with construction at the original cost. As a conSEE LIBRARY, Page 4